Whole genome sequencing identifies zoonotic transmission of MRSA isolates with the novel mecA homologue mecC
Abstract
Several methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) lineages that carry a novel mecA homologue (mecC) have recently been described in livestock and humans. In Denmark, two independent human cases of mecC-MRSA infection have been linked to a livestock reservoir. We investigated the molecular epidemiology of the associated MRSA isolates using whole genome sequencing (WGS). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were defined and compared to a reference genome to place the isolates into a phylogenetic context. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two distinct farm-specific clusters comprising isolates from the human case and their own livestock, whereas human and animal isolates from the same farm only differed by a small number of SNPs, which supports the likelihood of zoonotic transmission. Further analyses identified a number of genes and mutations that may be associated with host interaction and virulence. This study demonstrates that mecC-MRSA ST130 isolates are capable of transmission between animals and humans, and underscores the potential of WGS in epidemiological investigations and source tracking of bacterial infections. See accompanying article http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/emmm.201302622
Citation
Harrison , E M , Paterson , G K , Holden , M T G , Larsen , J , Stegger , M , Larsen , A R , Petersen , A , Skov , R L , Christensen , J M , Zeuthen , A B , Heltberg , O , Harris , S R , Zadoks , R N , Parkhill , J , Peacock , S J & Holmes , M A 2013 , ' Whole genome sequencing identifies zoonotic transmission of MRSA isolates with the novel mecA homologue mecC ' , Embo Molecular Medicine , vol. 5 , no. 4 , pp. 509-515 . https://doi.org/10.1002/emmm.201202413
Publication
Embo Molecular Medicine
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1757-4676Type
Journal article
Description
This work was supported by a Medical Research Council (MRC) Partnership Grant (G1001787/1) held between the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge (M. A. H.), the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge (S. J. P.), the Moredun Research Institute (R. N. Z.) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (J. P. and S. J. P.).Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.